These measures could make it much harder for Michigan women to get abortion care in their state. Women who live in rural areas and lower-income women will be hardest hit if these bills become law.

Anti-choice lawmakers are pushing the following bad ideas:

Three bills that would ban insurance coverage of abortion by all health plans sold in the state of Michigan, including private insurance plans women purchase with their own money--with no exceptions for rape or incest;

A bill that would allow hospitals to refuse to provide or pay for medical services to which they object--which threatens the availability of birth control and abortion services; and

A bill that would place unnecessary and burdensome requirements on doctors and clinics that provide abortion, and would also ban abortion care via telemedicine--a restriction that would especially hurt women in Michigan's rural areas.

Fortunately, the media is starting to the story. Earlier this week, Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, spoke with Rev. Al Sharpton on MSNBC's "Politics Nation" about the anti-choice attacks.

There is no question that these anti-choice measures are bad for women.

These bills are completely out of touch with Americans' priorities. It will be up to anti-choice Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) to decide whether he will stand with women and protect their right to choose, or let politicians dismantle a woman's right to safe, legal abortion care.

Last week, anti-choice legislators in the Michigan House passed a bill that puts a whole bunch of new restrictions on a woman's right to safe, legal abortion care.

Pro-choice Rep. Lisa Brown spoke out against the bill, but was gaveled "out of order" for saying "vagina." The anti-choice leadership then banned her from speaking for the rest of the week.

It seems that, while the Michigan House can restrict women's reproductive-health care, uttering the word "vagina" is cause for punishment.

So allow me to share a few words with our readers in Michigan: vagina, vagina, vagina, vagina, vagina.

Our friends at NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin saw the connection between what's going on in the Michigan House and what goes on at the ballot box:

And, as luck would have it, Mitt Romney is visiting Michigan today. (It's his home state, and his father was once the governor there.) He's stopping by the Sweetie-licious Bakery for some delicious confections.

Does Gov. Romney agree with the anti-choice Michigan House leadership? Does he think women lawmakers should be silenced for saying "vagina"?

We were really excited when Connie Saltonstall entered the race to become the next representative for Michigan's 1st Congressional District, the seat currently held by the retiring Rep. Bart Stupak. We were proud to support a pro-choice candidate to replace an anti-choice stalwart.

The idea that a pro-choice candidate can't win in Michigan's 1st District is simply not true. President Obama, Gov. Jennifer Granholm, and Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin have all beaten anti-choice candidates in the district.

It is a sad day for Michiganders who value freedom and privacy when the Democratic Party reportedly backs a candidate like Gary McDowell, who voted to ban a safe abortion method, without exceptions--even in the cases of rape, incest, or to protect the woman's health.... The Democratic Party in Michigan is giving pro-choice voters, who are essential to its successes in midterm elections, the impression that their support is being taken for granted.

NARAL Pro-Choice America PAC and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, today announced their respective endorsements of Connie Saltonstall, who is challenging anti-choice incumbent Rep. Bart Stupak in the Democratic primary in Michigan's 1st Congressional District:

"We are proud to put the support of our PAC behind Connie Saltonstall in this pivotal primary race," said Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America. "The voters in Michigan's 1st District are looking for an alternative to Bart Stupak. For years, he has attacked women's freedom and privacy and, for the last several months, seized the national spotlight as he held health care reform hostage to his anti-choice political views. The clock is ticking on Mr. Stupak's '15 minutes of fame.' We will work to put an end to Mr. Stupak's divisiveness and replace him with a leader like Connie, who represents Michigan's mainstream values."

NARAL Pro-Choice America's ad about anti-choice politics in health-care reform is running on cable TV stations in Richmond, Va., Raleigh, N.C., the Bangor and Portland markets in Maine, and in multiple markets in Michigan and other state markets that air in Rep. Stupak's congressional district.

You can read our full release here, view the ad on our YouTube page here, and view the fact sheet about the ad here.

U.S.
Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Menominee) will host a town hall meeting in
Escanaba on Wednesday, November 11, from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. (EST) at Bay
de Noc Community College's BesseCenter.The meeting is open to the public and will provide an opportunity for constituents to ask Stupak questions on a range of issues, including health care and the economy.Stupak will also provide an update on his work in Congress.

The BesseCenter is located at 2001 North Lincoln Rd, Escanaba, Mich.

"This
is an opportunity to speak with constituents, answer their questions,
and address their concerns about the critical issues currently
impacting Northern Michigan, including the health care bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives this past weekend," Stupak said."I look forward to engaging in a respectful, civil dialogue on a broad range of issues.I
enjoy hearing from constituents and the ideas and feedback I receive at
town hall meetings, and through the letters, emails, faxes and
telephone calls to my offices is valuable to me personally and is
critical to the work I do in Congress."

Out
of respect for all those wishing to attend the town hall meeting only
credentialed media will be permitted to record the event.Signs, banners and posters will not be allowed inside the center.

If you live near Escanaba, Michigan... this would be a good opportunity for you to tell Rep. Stupak what you think about his anti-choice amendment.

And might I also suggest you sign our petition calling on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to stand firm against a ban on abortion coverage for women in the new health system? Thanks!

Election 2008 is more or less in the books and while we don't have complete results, we can hit the high points before politics slides off the front page and those elected get down to the very difficult challenges that await them.

These dissapointing poll numbers for Congressman Walberg come on the heels of the presidential campaign of John McCain abandoning the state of Michigan.

On September 7, Congressman Walberg, referring to Republican presidential nominee John McCain, stated, "We'll help him and he'll help us, there's no doubt about it. I think his message will truly resonate with people who want to have reform in Washington. He's not afraid to take anyone on.'' [The Ann Arbor News, 9/07/08] Walberg also said that he hopes McCain's success in Michigan and Washtenaw County in the 2000 election, particularly among moderate Democrats and independents, can help offset the anticipated support countywide for his Democratic challenger, Mark Schauer. [The Ann Arbor News, 9/07/08]

Moderate Republicans. You have to feel for these people. You know they are out there, watching in horror as their party disintegrates into this extreme, and lately downright vile, version of itself, moving ever rightward towards policies and politicians that they just can't support anymore. They were sold a bill of goods, and it all went bad. I imagine there are quite a few in the Grand Rapids area. Don't believe the DeVos stereotype - this area has always been pretty moderate. Think Ford. Ehlers. People like that.

What is a moderate to do? Go 'bama.

This can only continue to help the Schauer campaign, I would imagine. Which is probably why the increasingly-concerned Walberg campaign is... going nuclear?

The fractious Michigan Republicans may not be doing McCain-Palin any favors by keeping the story that he's abandoned the state alive. They're now petitioning for a Palin visit.

The Democrats have answered with a petition to bring Tina Fey to Michigan.

I asked Mitt Romney, a native Michigander, about the state last night. He said he didn't question the McCain camp's decision, and added that he was headed to Michigan after the debate, and would campaign for McCain there if asked, but hadn't been asked.

A Michigan Republican group announced efforts this week to petition the McCain campaign to send vice presidential pick Sarah Palin to the state.

The group, Fight for Michigan, is hoping 100,000 signatures gathered through a weeklong online petition drive will do it.

After all, Palin did say she wasn't ready to quit the fight here during a recent Fox News interview.

``Michigan is a critical state and the polls have been tightening here,'' said Sam Moore, executive director of the Kent County Republican Party and member of the group.

Democrats responded by launching their own petition drive to lure Tina Fey, who has impersonated Palin on ``Saturday Night Live'' to the state.

``We'd be happy to welcome Tina Fey as a substitute to spread their message of more-of-the-same policies that ship our jobs overseas and make health care unaffordable,'' Democratic Party Chairman Mark Brewer said in a written statement.

Poor NRCC has to pick and choose: The Hill reports that the National Republican Congressional Committee will focus "its limited resources" on "just a handful of GOP-held seats." Wouldn't you know it that one of those races is... the Schauer/Walberg race:

The NRCC spent $1.3 million on an ad for Walberg, a freshman facing a well-funded challenge from Democratic state Sen. Mark Schauer... Schauer outraised Walberg $1.3 million to $1.2 million through mid-July and has released a pair of polls recently showing him leading, including by 10 points in one released Tuesday.

The NRCC's ad hits Schauer for getting kicked off a state Senate committee for missing meetings. Schauer's campaign blames that on politics and said the committee chairman didn't remove members of his own party who were also absent.

Schauer, Walberg debate gets heated: The Jackson Citizen Patriot reports that yesterday was the first official debate in Michigan's 7th District and it "produced occasional fiery exchanges on health care and Social Security between Republican U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg and Democratic state Sen. Mark Schauer":

When asked if he would take any responsibility for the current state of the economy, Walberg said: "I've done nothing to cause those negative things."

Schauer said he sees Washington as broken, and partisan politics need to be sidelined.

"I want to go to Washington to fight for Michigan, plain and simple," said Schauer, who also touched on his efforts to secure a SmartZone designation for Jackson and connect the city to a commuter rail planned for Detroit and Ann Arbor.

UPDATE!: No sooner had I hit "publish" on this blog post above, then I read this gem from Ben Smith's blog over at Politico, "Michigan Mess":

The fractious Michigan Republicans may not be doing McCain-Palin any favors by keeping the story that he's abandoned the state alive. They're now petitioning for a Palin visit.

The Democrats have answered with a petition to bring Tina Fey to Michigan.

I asked Mitt Romney, a native Michigander, about the state last night. He said he didn't question the McCain camp's decision, and added that he was headed to Michigan after the debate, and would campaign for McCain there if asked, but hadn't been asked.

I'm getting the entirety of my Schauer/Walberg update from the fantastic progressive Michigan blog, Blogging For Michigan, so if you're at all interested in the political world/climate in Michigan, please be sure to check out their blog.

Okay, moving on... a new internal poll from the Schauer campaign finds that Schauer is building momentum (!) and leads anti-choice Walberg by 10% in a new 7th district poll. Yes!!! Great news. From the Schauer campaign release:

A new internal poll released today by Myers Research & Strategic Services for congressional candidate Mark Schauer (D-Battle Creek) shows the state Senator leading incumbent Congressman Tim Walberg by ten points, 46 to 36 percent, outside the 4.4 percent margin of error.

"This new poll confirms that Mark's record of working with businesses and fighting for jobs is resonating with voters," said campaign manager B.J. Neidhardt. "This race will almost certainly tighten between now and Election Day, but Mark has always run like he's ten points behind, and that's exactly what he'll continue to do."

The internal poll released today shows a net 4-point shift in Schauer's favor since the previous Myers survey, released two weeks ago. Schauer now leads among independents by 12-points, 39 to 27 percent, and in the vote-rich Lansing Media Market, Schauer has built a 15-point lead, 48 to 33 percent. Barack Obama has also edged into a double-digit lead over John McCain in the 7th district, leading 50 to 39 percent.

This is good news, and exactly the type of momentum that is extremely useful at this point in the campaign. Plus, since the McCain campaign has pulled out of Michigan (I know I mentioned that once or twice), it only gets better. From Blogging for Michigan:

When you are as extreme as Walberg is, I guess that is to be expected.

The Boss thundered into Ypsilanti yesterday as he made he another "Vote For Change" concert stop at Eastern Michigan University. Both The Boss and Team Obama brought their "A" games for a crowd of 11,000 at Oestrike Field.

The line to enter started to gather about 2:00 p.m. in uncharacteristically cool weather even though the gates didn't open for another hour. As soon as they could everyone gathered in front of the stage. There were people of all ages: couples, children and of course, students --- all gathered in support of Barack Obama and his campaign to reclaim the White House...

The Boss was inspiring. He reminded everyone to go out and vote and also said that the next few weeks will get so ugly that the swift boats of '04 will look mild in comparison. Go out and do your part.

From now until the election, NARAL Pro-Choice America will focus on a different congressional race each week. This week is Mark Schauer week, so stay tuned to Blog for Choice for more information about Schauer's race!

Schauer's opponent, anti-choice Tim Walberg, is a first-term member of the House who is even more anti-choice than his predecessor. That's no good. Walberg won the "Advocate for Life" award from Michigan Right to Life and received endorsements Right to Life of Michigan and National Right to Life, cosponsored the Right to Life Act (which would make abortion illegal in all cases), and if all of that weren't enough, he even votes against measures to improve access to birth control.

Check out Schauer's welcome message:

I'm glad to hear Schauer's a believer in the power of online organizing ;)

Senator John McCain is giving up on his efforts to win the state of Michigan, his campaign said Thursday, in the latest sign that the faltering economy has reshaped the presidential race and cost Mr. McCain support in crucial states.

Ceding Michigan is a major blow to the McCain campaign, which had spent heavily on television commercials there and where Mr. McCain had campaigned repeatedly in the hopes that he could appeal to enough blue-collar voters, so-called Reagan Democrats and independent voters, to bring the state back into the Republican column in November.

... The McCain campaign's withdrawal will free the Democratic nominee, Senator Barack Obama, to redirect some of his resources from Michigan to several states that President Bush won in 2004 but where recent polls show Mr. Obama gaining ground, including Florida, Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia.

Blogging for Michigan would like to remind everyone in Michigan that there are only NINE DAYS LEFT to register to vote:

The Freep found another use for their countdown clock - this time it is ticking away the moments that you have left to register to vote in November's elections. If you are reading here, chances are you are already registered, but you might want to check and MAKE SURE you are showing up on the rolls.

If you aren't showing up, or the address is wrong, or whatever the case may be, get to your local Secretary of State office, your local Dept. of Human Services office, or your local Obama and/or Democratic Party HQ and register. You can also send in a mail-in form (warning: pdf), but if you are going to do that, better do it today. Don't wait. Make sure your friends and family are registered as well.

The Obama people have done an excellent job on voter outreach this year. Our state already boasts a 95% registration rate - and they are out there every day, trying to find the rest.

Barack Obama has closed the gap in Macomb County, and this puts him one step closer to claiming Michigan's all-important 17 electoral votes in November.

Obama is also ahead statewide in Michigan - according to a second Greenberg Quinlan Rosner/Democracy Corps poll conducted at the same time as the survey in Macomb. Obama is taking 49 percent, compared to 42 percent for McCain, 4 for Nader and 1 percent for Barr. These are important pieces in Obama being able to create a winning Electoral College map.

Each week until the election, NARAL Pro-Choice America is focusing on a different congressional race. This week is Gary Peters week! He's running to represent Michigan's 9th district in the U.S. House of Representatives.

It's important to remember that voter suppression tactics don't just affect the Presidential election, but can have huge effects on down-ballot races as well. And one of the races that suppression in Michigan would affect is the tight race in Michigan's 9th district between pro-choice Gary Peters and anti-choice Rep. Joe Knollenberg.

Gary Peters is a former state Senator who has a strong history of supporting pro-choice values. Knollenberg, on the other hand, has an abysmal record on pro-choice issues. He received a 0% rating from NARAL Pro-Choice America last year, and cosponsors a bill that would outlaw all abortion.